Working Up

Working Up in Project Management, Systems Engineering, Technology, and Writing

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The MOI Model – part 3 of 3 – Information

January 6th, 2011 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The vast majority of people need some type of information. There is, however, a limit to  information that leads to effectiveness. Adding more information after this limit only leads to lesser effectiveness. Here are a few posts on the MOI model from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. The MOI model comprises three […]

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Tags: Culture · Management · Observation

The MOI Model – part 2 of 3 – Organization

January 3rd, 2011 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The vast majority of people need some type of organization. There is, however, a limit to  organization that leads to effectiveness. Adding more organization after this limit only leads to lesser effectiveness. Here are a few posts on the MOI model from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. The MOI model comprises three […]

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Tags: Culture · Management · Observation

The MOI Model – part 1 of 3 – Motivation

December 30th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The vast majority of people need some type of motivation. There is, however, a limit to  motivation that leads to effectiveness. Adding more motivation after this limit only leads to lesser effectiveness. Here are a few posts on the MOI model from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. The MOI model comprises three […]

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Tags: Culture · Management · Observation

Various Sundry Items

November 25th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Some various thoughts on Apple, writing, the TSA, the Talent Economy, and National Novel Writing Month. sundry: (adjective) assorted: consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds. wordnetweb.princeton.edu My mind is racing with a number of different things. I couldn’t decide what to write in the regular Thursday blog posting. Then one […]

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Tags: Culture · Fun · Ideas · Writing

Start a Fire + Extinguish It = Hero (not!)

November 11th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Time and again I have seen people make a terrible mess, work hard to fix their mess, and be proclaimed a hero. I still don’t understand why anyone would reward such a person. In the mid-1980s I started managing projects. I looked about to see what my peers – other project managers […]

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Tags: Culture · Expectations · Health · Management · People

Don’t Teach – Model

November 4th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Don’t just encourage someone to do something – teach them how. Modeling the behavior yourself is probably the best method of teaching. Sometimes it takes me a while to remember things I have learned. Someone comes along, does something, and it all hits me: What are they doing?  Don’t they know…? I […]

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Tags: Change · Culture · Learning · Time

RA

October 21st, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips summary I live in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. To be more specific, I live in Reston, Virginia – a planned community. This is a good place to live, have a family, find good jobs, good medical care, good entertainment, and so on. Just Google for “Reston 50 best places” […]

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Tags: Culture · Family · Geography · Government · Grand Canyon

Things I Noticed in Louisiana

August 26th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I spent 19-26 August in Louisiana visiting family. Here are some of the things I noticed. Cars broken down on the side of the road – many of them. The New Orleans Airport: (1) small and unused for a city that depends on tourism, and (2) as inefficient and slow as ever. […]

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Tags: Culture · Family · Vacation

One Reason for Government Dysfunction

August 12th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Most government agencies are dysfunctional. There are simple reasons. One reason is that the path to promotion lies in spending money, not bringing value per cost. Try to understand how people “get ahead” working inside a government agency. To make more money, you are promoted to a higher grade. I worked in […]

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Tags: Culture · Employment · Government · Management

The Technology Imperative

June 7th, 2010 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The Technology Imperative states that if a new technology exists, we need it. Logic and business school lessons don’t matter. It happened again this week. I was visiting someone at their office in another building. The man I was visiting was slouched over in his chair with a face that asked, “Why […]

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Tags: Apple · Culture · iPad · Meetings · Requirements · Technology